Machine for treating blankets or fabrics



June 30, 1925.

E. McCREARY MACHINE FORTREATING BLANKETS OR FABRICS LjFi led sent. 10. 1924 -2 h dshe 1 7 Swan June 30, 1925.

1 E; M cREA kY, MACHIN FOR TREATING BLANKET s -Q'R FABRICS Patented June 30, 1925.

v UNITED STATES EDWARD McGR-EARY, F COHOES, ew Yomgnssienoa TO JOHN MQCREARY Ann EDWARD J. MocItEARYpBOTl-l' OF GOHOES, NEVJ YORK.

, MACHINE FOR TREATING BLANKETS on nannies.

To all who m it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD MOCREARY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Cohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and'useful Improvements in Machines for Treating Blankets or Fabrics, ofwhich the'follo'wing is a specification.

' This invention relate-s to'brushing machines for treating blankets and other similar articles or fabrics. 1

The present invention is an improvement in the mechanism'disclosed by my Patents No. 1,400,446, dated Dec. 13, 1921, and No. 1,511,896, dated Oct. 14, 1924.

' The primary object of. the present im provement is to provide simple and effective means to direct or control the blanket or other article as it leaves the brushing cylinderiand prevent it'from being drawn backwardly by the suction from the exhaust fan used in mechanisms of this class.

The present improvement is generally of the samestructure as that disclosed by my Patent No. 1,400,446 and in addition is provided with an improved trip or cast-01f roll or cylinder having'pulley devices, a, shaft below the said roll or cylinder having grooved pulleys with small belts between the pulleys of the roll and shaft, and rigid strand or wire guides between portions of the said pulleys to operate to direct the blanket or other article or fabric positively to a re turn apron or conveying meansgwhich delivers the treated blanket or other article to the front of the machine where'it may be readily removed. 7

The invention more broadly consists of means interposed between the brushing or carding cylinder for napping blankets or other similar articles or fabrics and a re turn apron or conveying means for preventing the treated blanket or article from being drawn irregularly towards the rear of the machine u'nder'the influence'of suction present in machines of this type."

The invention further consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a machine embodying the features of the invention? Fig. 2' is a longitudinal vertical section through the improved machine.

Fig. 3 is a front end elevation.

Figs. 4 and 5' are detail views of parts of the improved mechanism.

l The numeral '5 designates the frame of v the machine having an upper horizontal top portion .6 including girths 7. At the front of thetop portion of the-frame a feeding means is mounted and in the present instance consists of the well'known feeding belt organization 8. This feeding means, however, may be devised as desired, it be- 1ng only necessary to provide means for regularly guiding the blankets or other articles to be treated to the mechanism of the machine, and it will be understood that'any suitable means maybe usedfor this purpose.

In rear of the feeding belt organization as shown are a pair of feed rolls 9 and 10 mounted in suitable bearings With the roll 9 superposed with relation to the roll 10 and the said roll 9 automatically movable or having a gravitating action relatively to the roll 10 as in the similar form of feed roll construction. The rolls 9 and 10 are intergeared-or respectively have meshing pinions 11 and 12 at their ends to rotate 1 the said rolls'in the proper direction for delivering the blanket or fabric fed thereto towards the remaining mechanism. At a suitable distance in rear of the feed rolls 9 and 10 are longitudinally adjustable bearings 13, which are arranged to be shifted by a screw 14 and rod 15 having a'hand wheel 16, shown in dotted lines, for controlling the adjustment, the screw and rod respectively having intermeshing gears 14 and 15. In the bearings 13' a shaft 17 is rotatably mounted and carries awire brush or napping cylinder 18. By adjusting the bearings 13 the shaft 17 and cylinder18 may be shifted forwardly or rearwardly as desired, for the purpose of treating blankets or fabric of varying thicknesses; I

' Between the lower roll 10 and the cylinder 18 a suitable pressure bar 191s mounted and may be similar to that disclosed by my Patent No. 1,400,446, hereinbefore noted.

This pressure bar ispreferably curved and contour with the convex side thereof facing the cylinder 18 and the thicker portion of the bar towards its lower edge. The bar 19 gradually diminishes in thickness towards its upper edge.

Beneath the wire brush or napping cyl inder 18 a cast-off means 19 is mounted and comprises a shaft 20 having at opposite extremities thereof pulleys 2.1 for driving purposes and intermediate pulleys 22 and 23. Between the pulleys 21, 22 and 23 spirally disposed flexible blades 2% are mounted and secured to lugs or projections 25, which extend outwardly from opposite sides of the said pulleys and from auxiliary pulleys 26 and 27, respectively located be tween the pulleys 22 and 23 and the pulleys 21 and 22 and all fast to the shaft 20, so that the said blades rotate uniformly with the shaft and the several pulleys. The spiral blades 24 are very close to the outer terminals of the bristle'or brush wires of the cylinder 18, and this cast-off organization as a whole has its vertical axis disposed slightly forward of the vertical axis of the cylinder 18. Below and in advance of the shaft 20 is a transverse shaft 28 mounted in suitable bearings in portions of opposite sides of the frame'of the machine and extending centrally through a return apron or conveying means 29 comprising a rear drive shaft 30 and a forward driven shaft 31 having thereon grooved rollers 32 and 33, which are engaged by round or other belts 34, as clearly shown by Figs. 2 and 3. The shaft 30 and its roller or cylinder 32 is disposed at a higher elevation than the shaft 31 and the roller or cylinder 33, so as to give the feeding apron or conveying means a down ward trend or inclination towards the front of the machine. The shaft 30 is driven by a suitable pulley 35 engaged bya power belt 36 from a suitable'source of power, as shown by Fig. 2. At the front of the machine in advance of and below the shaft 31 and roller or cylinder 33 is a receiving trough or tray 37, into which the treated blanket or fabric is deposited. The shaft 28 has: thereon in line with the central pulley 23 and pulleys 26 on the shaft 20, pulleys 38, as shown by F 4;, and between the pulleys 38 and the ends of the shaft 28 a series of collars 39 are loosely mounted on the said shaft 28 and have projecting bosses 40,'each of which has a slot ll therethrough intersected by a screw-threi-lded opening 42, in which is mounted a set screw 43. Extending through and secured in the slot 41 of each boss 10 is a guide wire l i projecting upwardly and formed with a bend 45. The bends d5 of the wire guides 44 loosely embrace the pulleys 27 and the next adjacent pulleys 22 on the shaft 20 The pulleys 26 and 23 and the pulleys 38 below on the'shaft 28 have round or other flexible belts 46 trained thereover for feeding the completed blanket or fabric downwardly away from the brush or napping cylinder 18 to the return apron or belts 34E of the latter, as indicated in 2. The belts d6 and wires 4% extend downwardly between the belts 3d of the return apron at intervals, as shown by Fig. 4', and by this arrangement there is no interference with the operation of the several belts of these particular cooperating parts. The collars 39 maybe adjusted on the shaft 28 to change the angle of the bosses 4:0 and the consequent angular position of the wire rods 44 by modifying the point of engagement of the bosses with the wires, this adjustment being accomplished by first loosening the clamping screws 43 and afterwards reset ting the said screws, so as to dispose the wires 4-4 to the best advantage as may be desired to effect a practical downward guidance of the completed blankets or fabric that have been treated by the brush or napping cylinder 18.-

In the present'instance the upper part of the machine is provided with a hinged hood 47 which encloses the feed rolls 9 and 10 and the brush or napping cylinder 18, the said hood having at the front a feed opening 48 to expose the said rolls 9 and 10. 'AS in the previous structures hereinbefore referred to, the rear end of the frame and other parts of the latter may be suitably enclosed, the front end of the frame being left open for convenience in easily reaching and removing the finished blankets or fabrics from the trough or receptacle 37.' The hood 4:7 and other enclosing devices commonly'known in machines ofthis type serve to confine any lint that may be thrown off from the blanket or fabric within the body of the machine, The hood in the present instance also has two exhaust outlets 49, and as heretofore indicated, the machine is subjected to the action of a suction fan which tends to draw all matter rear wardly and upwardly towards the top of the machine and would, unless means were provided as hereinbefore described, likewise draw the free end of each blanket or fabric rearwardly around with the cylinder. The particular form of cast-off organization in cluding the downward feed and guiding means consisting of the belts t6 and wires 44: obstructs any tendency of rearward movement or affection by suction of the blanket or fabric treated and insures a delivery of each blanket or piece of fabric to the apron or forward conveying means 29.

The blanket or fabric to be treated is placed on the feeding means or apron 8 and is carried to the feed rolls 9 and 10, passing through the latter rolls and over the rear convex side 20 of the pressure bar 19, the latter bar bringing the blanket or fabric into engagement with the brush or napping over the brush or napping cylinder 18 the blanket or fabric is thrown forwardly off from adhering contact or engagement with the brush or cylinder-by the cast-off mechanism, and the feeding part of thelatter mechanism conveys and guides the treated blanket or fabric down to the apron 29 and by the latter is delivered into the trough or receptacle 37. The guide wires 44 also serve as guards to prevent the corners of the blanket or fabric from being wrapped around the belts 46 and, further, these guides insure the delivery of the forward end of the blanket or fabric squarely onto the belts 34 of the apron or'conveying means 29. Moreover, the combination of the belts 46 and wires 44 disposed on opposite sides of the said latter belts provides posite sides of the said latter belts provides an absolutely fool-proofdevice as well as insuring the positive feed of the treated blanket or fabric as just specified. The main function, however, of the belts 46 and wires 44 cooperating with the cast-off cylinder comprising the shaft 20 and the spiral blades 24 is to prevent the treated blankets or fabrics from being sucked backwardly and to force these treated products to the front of the machine. The disposition of the belts 46 and the wires 44 betweenthe bolts 34 of the. apron or conveyor 29-is also materially advantageous in affecting a positive downward and forward feed of each blanket'or fabric treated, and moreover, this mechanism is condensech It will be understood, also, that the shaft 28 is a stationary shaft and that the pulleys 38 rotate loosely thereon, and the collars 39 are so designed that they will readily permit adjustment'of the wires 44 both upwardly and downwardly and forwardly and backwardly.

The present improved machine will be found exceptionally advantageous in many.

particulars other than those specified in effectively brushing and napping blankets or fabrics generally, and it will be understood that changes in the construction and arrangement of the several parts may be adopted at will within the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat is claimed as new is:

1. In a fabric treating machine of the class specified, the combination with a brush cylinder, of conveying means for feeding the fabric to be treated to and withdrawing the treated fabric from the cylinder, and a cast-off organization interposed between the cylinder and the conveying means and including upper and lower rotatable means in inclined relation and having movable endless feeding devices engaging the same and 7 also guard means for preventing the treated fabric from beingdrawnrearwardly and upwardly within the machine.

2.111 a fabric treating machine of the class specified, the combination with a brush cylinder, of'conveying means for feeding a fabricto be treated to and removing the treated fabric from the said cylinder, and a cast-off organization interposedbetween the said cylinder and the conveying means for removing the treated fabric from the cylinder andcomprising endless traveling devices engaging upper and lower rotatable means and operating to move the treated fabric downwardl and forwardly thereover to the conveying means, and rigid guard means alternately interposed between the said endless traveling devices, said rigit guard means and endless traveling devices being inclined downwardly and forwardly.

3. In a fabric treating machine of the class specified, the combination with a brush cylinder, of conveying means for receiving and removing thev treated'fabric from the aid cylinder, the said conveying means being located below and in advance of the cylinder, and a cast-off organization interposed between the lower portion of the cylinder and the said conveying means and comprising upper and lower rotatable devices having endless belts movable thereovei' and rigid guard means regularly interposed between the said belts, the belts and guard means being. disposed at. a downward and forward angle of inclination and oper atively associated with .a part of the said conveying means, .theupper rotatable devices also embodying cast-ofi elements closely movable to the lower portion of the cylinder to prevent the treated fabric from running back over the rear of the cylinder.

4. In a fabric treating machine of the class specified, the combination with a brush cylinder, of conveying means located below and in advance of the said brush cylinder for moving a treated fabric away from the cylinder to a point of discharge, and a castoff organization interposed between the cylinder and the said conveying means and including a lower fixed device with rotatable elements thereon and an upper rotatable shaft having cast-off roll members thereon and also rotatable elements in line with similar elements on the lower fixed device, downwardly and forwardly inclined endless belts engaging the said elements, and rigid guard devices between the said belts and engaging ove-r port-ions of the cast-off roll.

5. In a .fabric treating machine of the class specified, the combination with a brush cylinder, of conveying means for moving a treated fabric away from the said cylinder, said conveying means being located below and in advance of the cylinder, and a castoff organization interposed between the cylinder and saidconveying means and having the lower portion thereof associated with said conveying means, the cast-off organizaad'ustable ri id 'uard devices bein inter- J b b o posed b tween the feeding belts and also extending downwardly and forwardly similarl to the belts between parts of the conveying means.

6. In a machine of the class specified, the combination with a brush cylinder, of con- J means for feeding it treated fabric a the machine for removal, and

to one side or a cast-oil" organization interposed between the cylinder and said conveying means and includin downwardly movable feeding belts and guard means having their lower portions extending through the conveying means, the guard means being adjustable to modify the angle thereof.

7. In a fabric treating machine of the class specified, the combination with a brush cylinder, of conveying means for moving a treated fabric away from the brush cylinder to a point of delivery, said conveying means being disposed below and in advance of the brush cylinder, and a cast-off organization interposed between the cylinder and said conveying means and including downwardly and forwardly inclined movable feeding belts and individual rigid guard means between the belts, the lower extremities of the belts and rigid guard means extending through the said conveying means.

8. In a machine of the class specified, the combination with a brush cylinder feed rolls and apressure bar between the feed rolls and cylinder, of conveying means below the cylinder and having a downward inclination for delivering :a treated fabric to one side of the machine for removal, and a cast-oil organization interposed between the cylinder andsaid conveying means and including an upper shaft with pulleys thereon and spiral blades between the pulleys, a lower shaft also provided with pulleys, downwardly movable belts engaging pulleys of the two shafts, and rigid guard means embracing a portion of the pulleys of the upper shaft; and having adjusting means mounted on the lower shaft. 7

9. In a fabric treating machine of the class specified, the combination with a brush cylinder and conveying means below the said cylinder for moving atrea-ted fabric away from the cylinder to a part of the mechanism for removal, of downwardly and forwardly extending barrier means between the said brush cylinder and conveying means and having lower extremities thereof eX- tending into and between parts of the conveying means, a part of the barrier means being rigid and a part flexible and movable and whereby rearward movement of the fabric treated by the brush cylinder is prevented from moving rearwardly around the lower portion of and upwardly over the rear part of said cylinder.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EDWARD MoCR-EARY. 

